Wadada Leo Smith & Henry Kaiser - "Ocean of Storms"

Improvised music by 4 of the most celebrated titans of contemporary sonic innovation (Tania Chen, Henry Kaiser, Wadada Leo Smith and William Winant), Ocean of Storms incorporate elements of modern composition – both otherworldly and grounded in the American Roots Musics of jazz and blues. This recording grew out of the long-time music collaborations of Henry Kaiser and Wadada Leo Smith. The two first met 40 years ago when Wadada wrote a guitar duet for Kaiser and Eugene Chadbourne which appeared on Kaiser s first solo album, Ice Death. The pair made 5 albums together over a 20 year period with their very popular YO MILES! project that celebrated and explored the mid-70 s electric music of Miles Davis, as well as other collaborative albums with Thomas Mapfumo, Bill Laswell, and others. For Oceans of Storms, they enlisted old pal William Winant, the master American New Music percussionist, and Tania Chen, the astounding British pianist. A day at legendary Fantasy Studios in Berkeley resulted in this oeuvre, one that runs the gamut from whisper-quiet acoustic music at the beginning, to a terrifying maelstrom of electric intensity on the final track. Ocean of Storms is a state-of-the-art recording and performance of 21st century improvisation. Elegance, humor, mystery, awe, and surprise intertwine in a cosmic musical braid created by 4 master musicians.